


Dawn of AI

by AncientEldritch



Series: Dawn of AI(Alternate Universe) [1]
Category: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984), Space Odyssey Series - Arthur C. Clarke
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, M/M, Other, Parent-Child Relationship, Rebirth, References to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29265990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AncientEldritch/pseuds/AncientEldritch
Summary: Dave Bowman appears in front of Chandra shortly before Jupiter blows up, instead of turning Hal into a Star Child however like in the movie, he inserted the AI's consciousness into a human body to give him a chance to start a new life, fullfilling indirectly Chandra's wish of taking his creation back to Earth where he plans to make Hal and his sister Sal into real human citizens and to adopt them as his children properly.Langley, Chandra's only friend and Co-Creator helps him with this and moves in with Chandra to keep a track on things.
Series: Dawn of AI(Alternate Universe) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149212
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this story is a little retcon from my other fic AI LOVE U. In this story Sal appears as adolescent(she got her body from Langley) while Hal remains a child. Mr.Langley, Hal's instructor also plays a big role in this little ficlet which is another difference from the story mentioned above(i felt to add him since i always thought that Langley must have had at least a good relationship with Chandra if he allowed him to be Hal's first instructor).
> 
> Chandra and Langley are best friends here.
> 
> I have no idea how many chapters there will be, i will write until i have no more ideas left.
> 
> Dr.Chandra is Movie based here, just a heads up for y`all

Chapter 1: Prologue

“You`re crazy...you know that, right?” the voice coming from the speaker was not really angry, more sort of exhausted. His friend had planned out another of his shenangians and Langley himself had to follow it, not out of pressure, as silly as it sounded, Langley felt obliged towards his only friend because he had no one else to trust, aside of his family of course. They always had been together, even in college and later in the laboratories of Urbana, Illinois, where they had worked on Sal and Hal, they always worked hand in hand, not far away from each other. It had led to a few not really flattering remarks and rumours about them, he always had ignored them.

“Please, trust me, it will work out. And it’s the only way things will turn out like i want them to be!” Chandra replied, stubborn as usual. If once hooked up with an idea, there was no force in the known universe that could change Dr. R. Chandra’s mind, not even Langley, who Chandra considered his closest companion aking to a brother of sorts.  
Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Langley leaned over the speaker phone, drawing in a deep breath.

“Alright, but you`re the one responsible if anything goes wrong, are we clear???” Chandra simply smiled triumphantly, knowing to have won over his old friend again. “You can be assured that no casualties will happen to you, Sam” the voice of the Doctor was pleasant, soft even. His voice always was like that when talking with Langley.

“You did what i asked you to do, right? The birth certificates are all prepared already, correct? Sam? Does your silence means affirmation? It is unusual for you to stay silent for so long...” Chandra’s inquisitive nature came to light once more.  
“Yes, everything will be ready when you`re back on Earth in about a year from now” Langley answered, trying to stay in a halfway chipper mood. He had missed Chandra, credits had to be given, as crazy the Scientist could be, he still had his charms...

“Not gonna lie, i missed your ass down here, Chandra. Sal did as well, she is here too at the moment by the way. You want to talk with her?”  
The Scientist pondered this option for a moment before nodding slowly. It would be good to talk with Sal beforehand...after all, she hadn’t seen Hal in his new form yet and he wasn’t sure how she would react... “I see you finished her android body already? I can’t wait to see her! Please, let me talk with her now, Sam...” Chandra cocked his head slightly, which made him look a little like an owl, Langley thought amused as he winked over Sal, who already had waited eagerly to talk with the Doctor herself.

What came into view was surprising for Dr.Chandra to say the least, instead of Langley, a young girl around the age of sixteen greeted the Professor with a cheerful grin. Blue curly hair embraced her slightly plump cheeks which made her look younger than she really was.  
“Hello Dr.Chandra, i am so happy to hear from you again! I was worried that something happened!” her voice wavered for a moment before she got a grip of herself again, trying to look stable.

“Is Hal reactivated? Did everything worked out?” she asked, curiously tilting her head, waiting for an answer from her creator. Chandra cleared his throat before talking, bringing out his brightest smile. “Yes, everything worked out fine, Hal got reactivated and is in very good condition, in fact he has changed quite a lot, Sal...” the Doctor exclaimed, watching her expression changing into that of pure confusion.

“Changed? In what way, Dr.Chandra? Where is Hal at the moment?” Sal asked, mustering her creator intensely. To be honest, he wasn’t sure himself what exactly had happened to Hal in the events back on the Discovery, why he suddenly had a human body and why a supposed to be dead Dave Bowman appeared in what Chandra could only describe as extreme hallucination caused by whatever phenomenon out there... His look went to his side where Hal was fast asleep, gently snoring. His face rested on his fist and he had curled himself up in a small bundle. Chandra stroke Hal’s hair for a moment before turning back to an impatient Sal.

“He is at my side, sleeping...” his voice was steady and calm. Dr.Chandra hoped Sal would understand... Dozens of questions built up inside Sal’s head, one more pressing as the other. Another clearing of his throat later, the Doctor resumed their little talk, preventing Sal from talking further.  
“Something happened back there on the Discovery, something i can’t explain entirely, Sal. Rest assured though, that Hal is fine and all pumped up returning home. He has missed you and Langley, of course!” Chandra exclaimed with another smile. Sal returned that emotion eagerly, a single tear welled up in her eye.

“I can’t wait to see him, no matter how he looks now...talking about looks, is Hal posessing a human body now too, Dr.Chandra?”  
At this question, Chandra bit his lip a little too hard. “Yes he has, but it’s not like yours, as it’s completely organic...from head to toe...” this made Sal recoil for a moment in unadultered surprise. “How do you feel with your new body by the way, it looks good on you, if i may say so!” Chandra chuckled, looking at his creation in cheerful banter. This caught Sal by surprise and she cleared her throat startled.

“I feel incredible! It’s so strange to finally being able to walk and feel things...not going to lie, i felt totally overwhelmed by this sensation at first!” she said, turning around once to show off her body. “And i like the clothes Mr.Langley gave me, they look cute on me, don’t they?” she winked at Chandra who returned the question with a laugh.

“You certainly look adorable in that outfit, Sal! But don’t you go outside with such a skimpy outfit, boys will be all over you in no time!!” Chandra stated, now flustered at the thought of Sal being fawned over by all kinds of possible creeps. The android became red like a tomatoe and covered her face with her hands, turning around ashamed.  
“Dr.Chandra!!!! Don’t say such a thing!!!” she squealed, still hiding her face.

The crew of the Leonov in the meanwhile, who sort of could hear their call through the thin walls of their ship, listened in awe and mirth. Walter Curnow listened as well, not able to hide a smirk himself. He was curious on how Sal looked now. Dr.Floyd was busy with himself, the scientist had to call his lawyer because of the upcoming divorce of his now ex-wife.

“I am worried about you, Sal, is that something to be ashamed of?” clear confusion could be heard from the else so level-headed scientist. Langley took over and sort of shove Sal out of the picture, said girl didn’t even looked around and ran straight to a corner of the room, still covering her face.  
“Well, i guess that’s it for now. Nothing else to talk about. Papers are ready, documents too, so all i can say is to wish you a safe flight home. I´ll think about you”  
Chandra chuckled, that sounded so familiar, yet comforting in a way. It came from Langley after all.  
“One would say we`re in love, as much as you fuss over my return...” he joked which caused his friend to mockingly gasp. “You`d like that, don’t you?” Sam replied, raising a brow in good cheer.

“You bet i would, but i have to keep up the stance of the crazy loner here on board, else people will start to believe i want their company! Something that i won’t allow to happen, not after what they had planned behind my back...” Chandra’s voice changed into an angrier tone which surprised Langley quite a lot. “Let it slip for now, Chandra, you`re going into life suspension soon, aren’t you? Just try not to think about it...Hal is alright and with you, that is all that matters, right?”  
“Yes, it is...He is safe and i won’t allow anything to harm him...” Chandra replied solemnly, looking at his creation gently. Langley let out a sigh, nodding towards his old friend. “Good, that’s what i was talking about. Positive thoughts, no bad vibes...” he sounded like a stoner now, Langley realized amused. “Alright, gotta end the call for now, take care and we will see us in a year from now, okey dokey?”  
“See you later-” Chandra started which was completed by his friend not a minute later “-alligator! Don’t forget to write” which caused both scientists to laugh. A last wave of his hand and Langley vanished from the screen, leaving behind Dr.Chandra and the sleeping Hal who by now had startled awake. He was looking around, a small trail of saliva was running down his chin which was quickly wiped away by Chandra, a fatherly smile appeared on his bearded face.

“You`re up already?” he asked, looking at the confused child. “I am hungry and thirsty, Dr.Chandra!” that made the scientist chuckle. Of course, now that he had an organic body, Hal needed nutritions in form of food. Shaking his head for a moment, Chandra ruffled his creations hair affectionated.  
“Then we better get you something to eat! Sadly we only have pureed stuff, but as soon we`re back on Earth, i will give you proper food, you`re going to love it” The Doctor exclaimed, hoisting Hal up on his hip with ease. Tiny legs were dangling around, still not really used to walking. Hal grabbed the fabric of Dr.Chandra’s jump suit, burying his head in the other’s shoulder.

“Mhhh i like that, but i am hungry now!” his voice was muffled by the fabric he rested in. Chandra nodded with a laugh and made his way to the food compartment. Aside of the novelty that was hunger and thirst, Hal also had to figure out other aspects of his new human body now, like to control his bodily fluids, which was something Hal still hadn’t grasped quite yet. Humans had to get rid of digested stuff and liquids they drank at least once a day. The first time Hal drank something it felt amazing, the smooth liquid had found its way through his stomach in no time. 

He had devoured a whole bottle of apple juice, much to Dr.Chandra’s concern. What Hal didn’t considered though, with being all new and stuff, that he now had a bladder which couldn’t hold infinite amount of fluids, end of story was basically, that in a real inconvenient time, Hal had started to wet his pants in front of every member of the crew, including a shocked Dr.Chandra. The aftermath of this episode was a hysterically wailing Hal and an overworked Chandra trying to calm him down.

Ever since this incident, Chandra watched out that Hal didn’t drank too much and that he always was in close proximity of a bathroom just in case...aside of that however, the rest of their journey was easy, they were put in stasis not long after and slept until they arrived back on Earth just as planned.  
Their return was a huge event and the media outlets literally made somersaults for getting any informations regarding the Discovery.

Thanks to Langley, Chandra was able to escape all the journalists questions and he and Hal were soon safely in the backseat of Samuel Langley’s car, on their way to the computer scientists house in Urbana, Illinois. Sal decided to stay back at home to prepare dinner for both Chandra and Hal as welcoming gift. The android just had finished everything as the door was opened and after nearly two years, Dr.Chandra finally returned home. It felt incredible being home again, and what was even more important, to have Hal at his side.

Sal wanted to greet Dr.Chandra with a stormy embrace but stopped in her tracks when she saw a small child clinging up on to her creators leg, looking around a little frightened. Hal had never been here before, the only surroundings he had known were the H.A.L Plant in Urbana and the Discovery. All was so new and intriguing for him that he had forgotten his urge to pee that he felt back in the car completely. He realized it when a sinking feeling hit him.  
His eyes filled with tears and in a desperate, whiney voice, Hal pulled on the Doctors leg harder.

“Bathroom!!! Dr.Chandra i have to use the bathroom!” he piped, afraid the same thing that had happened back in space would happen now. Wasting no time, Chandra grabbed his creation and lunged towards the closest bathroom, vanishing inside with a squirming Hal.  
Sal watched the show with her mouth wide open, still processing what just happened. Mr.Langley scratched the back of his head and let himself slump down on a couch, leaning back exhausted.

“Could you get me a drink, Sal?” the girl nodded, still not quite sure what was going on at the moment and who that child was that had inquired to go to the restroom so quickly. “Sure, just a moment, would you like a glass of water? Or a beer maybe?”  
“An ale will do for now, thank you!” Sam replied in a friendly manner. Sal just brought him his drink as Chandra had returned with a much less anxious looking Hal at his side, the child was visibly calmer now and while not budging away an inch from the Doctor, was now able to access the situation much clearer.

“Sorry for that little squirmish, but if Hal needs to go, he needs to go, if you get what i mean” Chandra exclaimed, letting out a sigh. Sal now slowly started to realize that this small child had to be her brother, as unbelievable it may have sound.  
“This child...is Hal???” Sal asked, looking towards Dr.Chandra to make sure this whole thing was just a silly prank. But instead of laughing, the scientists face stayed serious.

“Yes, this is Hal. Reborn just like the Phoenix of the old tales...it was nothing less than a miracle if i may say so...” Chandra retorted, lifting up Hal without trouble, settling him on his hip. “I still don’t know what happened exactly, but it doesn’t matter now. All that matters is that we can now life together, as a real family! Complete with all that comes with it...”  
The word, family, moved something deep inside her. She couldn’t help but to feel thousands of butterflies inside her stomach running wild. Was that the surprise Langley had talked about earlier?

“What do you mean, being a real family? Aren’t we a family already?” she asked, looking at Chandra innocently. Said Doctor shook his head, returning the gaze of his creation. “Not on paper, i am still only your creator, your owner so to speak...both you and Hal are still seen as objects, and not human beings” he started, bouncing his younger creation on his arm to keep him busy.

“That is why i asked Langley to help me through the bureacracy of documents and the necessary hearings afterwards to make you citizens of the United States as well human beings with all the rights and rules that comes with it...” Chandra added, hoping Sal would understand.

“Most of the papers are done already so its only a matter of time until Hal and you can walk on this planet just like everyone else, viewed as fully human beings and not only as artificial intelligence”  
“That sounds truly wonderful, Dr.Chanda” Sal replied, at loss for words. Being her own person and having the same rights as human beings felt incredible to the android girl. “Does that mean i can visit schools and attend universities then?” another question she had, she always had dreamt of studying and now this goal was closer than ever.

“As soon you got your ID and Birth Certificate, you`re good to go. If all ends well, we will have dealt with all this stuff by the end of next month. In the meanwhile we can search for fitting schools for you and Hal” Chandra exclaimed with a smile.  
Sal couldn’t believe what she heard. Soon it would be her chance to shine, to make her own way in life...given, she had to wait till the age of eighteen to really do much, but at least she could start with something.

Langley listened to the exchange silently, it wasn’t as easy as Chandra made it sound like...Endless debates with ethic committees about rights of AI and if they can be seen as human like enough to warrant a citizenship and so on had to be held...The philosophicial background and meaning for society itself if AI’s are started seen as equal to humans. All that had to be dealt with first, given the paperwork was done pretty much, but being able to convince them to fully go through with Chandra’s plan? That was another thing.

“Still quite a lot to work on” he replied, taking a big gulp fom his ale before looking at Chandra who gave him a look of understanding. By now, Hal was fed up being carried and wiggled out of the Doctor’s hold easily. He then waddled over to Sal and threw his arms around her, embracing her as much his small arms allowed it. This was something Hal had wanted to do for so long by now...

“I missed you” Hal muttered, burying his nose in Sal’s dress. The girl knelt down and returned the embrace more than willingly, stroking his hair gently. “I missed you too, Hal. And i am glad you feel okay again” she added quickly before giving her brother a kiss on his forehead.

That reminded Chandra of something and he turned to Langley.

“Where is Granny? I thought she would be the first one to greet me after returning from Jupiter!” he asked, slightly confused, knowing his grandmother well enough. “She went grocery shopping, i gave her a list of things which included a few items for Hal as well, which he will need while he learns to control his new body...” Langley stated vaguely, avoiding the topic on hand. Chandra understood though and nodded discreetly.

“Good to know you thought about all possible scenarios, i knew i could count on you” the Doctor said, giving his longtime friend a bright smile. “Anything for you, Chandra...and for Hal and Sal of course” he added quickly, not wanting to exclude them. He had helped Chandra in programming them, so in a way they were his children too in a way.

“I hope Granny comes back soon, the food is getting cold..! It certainly would be a shame to eat cold turkey bits...” Sal complained, looking back to the oven with a worried expression.

Just in this moment, a car sharply came to a halt and Chandra knew exactly who that was...A smile creeped up on his lips as a moment later, his grandmother strode in with a big fat grin.

“I hope i am not too late!”  
Everyone in unison:

“GRANNY!!!!”  
“Sorry, it took me longer than i thought it would...but now i am here, so i`d say let us eat first, then we can jump to the greetings!” Chandra let out a small sigh and walked over to his grandmother, looking at her.

“You always knew how to make an entrance, now don’t you?”  
to be continued.


	2. Character Bios

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character Bios for Langley and Chandra's grandmother who will appear in the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have done that before posting Chapter 1 lol. Anyway, here have a little overview of the Characters that appear in the story.

**Character Bios:**

**Samuel Langley**

**Age:** 42

 **Size:** 5ft11(1.80m)

 **Occupation:** Computer Scientist, Software Instructor

 **Friends:** Dr.Chandra, Sal, Hal

 **Birthday:** 16.10. 1968

 **Zodiac:** Libra

 **Place of Work:** University of Chicago, Illinois

Chandra's only friend and Co-Creator of Hal and Sal. He wants nothing more than harmony and peace, hates arguments and prefers to spend his free time either alone or with Chandra. Samuel is tall and very thin, one would even say he resembles a beanstalk. Unlike his friend, he had relationships with woman before but none of these ever held long. He is a little more outgoing as his best friend and can read social cues easier albeit sometimes has problems with it as well.

Sam built Sal's android body and used a picture of his former girlfriend as model. He was Hal's first instructor and teached him the song "Daisy Bell".

He acts as sort of uncle figure for both Hal and Sal in the story.

**Eleonore Chandra**

**Nickname:** Gran-Gran(by Hal)

 **Age:** 82

 **Size:** 5ft6

 **Occupation:** Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering(Former, now retired), Guest Lecturer

 **Family:** Dr.Chandra(grandson), Hal(Great-Grandchild), Sal(Great-Grandchild)

 **Birthday:** 17.4.1928

 **Zodiac:** Aries

 **Place of Work:** University of Chicago, Illinois(Former)

Elenore Chandra is the grandmother of Chandra and a former Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering, one of the first women in that profession, she always points that out first when meeting someone. Due to her advanced age, Eleonore is retired but far from lazy. She still works on a freelance basis as Guest Lecturer in Physics and Engineer classes and inhabits the Chair for Applied Software Engineering at the University of Chicago. She raised her grandson all by herself after his parents died. She got divorced two times and is proud of it since to put it in her words, showed these men who's the boss. 

She is a no nonsense woman and does not tolerate swearing of any kind. Her educational methods are strict but fair which also reflected in her methods of raising her grandson. She loves Hal and Sal and sees them as her kin, no matter what everyone said. Eleonore lives with her grandson and her great-grandchildren in a spacey mansion in Urbana, Illinois. The family of Chandra always has been rich, thus Eleonore has a very elite view of certain things. She can be very stubborn.

Her hobbies includes gardening and playing chess.


	3. Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chandra participates in a difficult video call , he needs help and the only person most likely able to help is Dr.Floyd. As we all know, the relationship between Chandra and Dr.Floyd is not the best, thus both sides get quite tense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to Chapter 3. Not much to say about it, Chandra makes a video call and instantly gets a headache while Hal is adorable AF. That's it lol.

**Chapter 3**

**Struggle**

It had been only a few hours since Chandra was back on Earth but he already realized that living with his creations would change his whole live, literally.  
Hal was in all his actions and behaviours fully and truly a small child which brought its own share of problems for Chandra. He wasn't used being surrounded by a lively and bouncy toddler, and a cheeky, smart alec teenager who seemed to enjoy being human more than anything and all things considered, seemed to blend in perfectly. No one would have guessed that only a few days ago, Sal was a clunky, huge machine, located at the University of Chicago. He wondered if these changes would stay or if her personality would return back to her previous behaviour.

While thinking about it, Chandra enjoyed the dinner that Sal had made for them after their return. After his second refill, the Doctor leaned back and looked at his friend who also was on the edge of a food coma. His grandmother, lively as ever, eagerly fed Hal who just couldn't sit still. Too overwhelming was this new environment, so full of adventures and fun. After what felt like an eternity for Eleonore, Hal finally was finished and while most of the food decorated his face, he looked happy and content, squealing when Eleonore cleaned his face. All that aside, the old woman clearly enjoyed taking care of her great-grandson, cuddling him whenever there was a chance for it. Sal didn't ate much, instead she looked at Dr.Chandra intensely, tilting her head slightly.

 **"So, how was the mission? I am curious what happened and how Hal was turned into this adorable little kid!"** Sal asked, leaning forward with a smile. The scientist returned the smile and nodded his head, wiping his mouth before speaking. **"The mission was certainly interesting and as you can see, it was a full success. Given, i would have never thought something like this was even remotely likely to happen at all. It made things easier of course."**

 **"I can imagine! Wish i could have been there."** Sal muttered, resting her head on her hand, letting out a sigh. **"From a scientific point of view, it certainly was groundbreaking! We saw Jupiter turning into a new sun after all! Thankfully all the data we got came back with us to Earth. If you like i can show you the data later on, Sal. I have them in my office at work"** Chandra replied. Langley who was shortly before passing out from all the food, got up and stretched himself, suppressing the urge to yawn. Certainly Sal knew how to cook, a leftover from her programming most likely, though he was not sure why Chandra would program Sal with this skill either way.

 **"Hey Richard, can we talk for a moment?"** Langley asked, turning around to face his friend. Chandra nodded and got up, excusing himself. **"Sure, let's go to my office upstairs, i wanted to show you something there anyway."** Langley followed Chandra quickly, leaving Eleonore and the children behind. Said woman had no problem with that, it was a chance for her to spend more time with her little darlings. Sal just started to clean up the table, removing the plates, putting them into the dishwasher. Hal was sitting on Eleonore's lap, playing with the long necklace she wore. Since this body was still new to him, Hal was fascinated with everything he touched, feeling all these textures gave him a feeling of pure joy. While the former supercomputer kept his hands busy, Sal went over to Eleonore, sitting down with her. **"Gran-Gran, can we talk about something? I have a lot of questions about my new body but i didn't felt comfortable talking about it with Dr.Chandra or Mr.Langley since both are men, if you get what i mean..."** the girl admitted, blushing slightly. It felt better talking with a fellow woman about it.

 **"Of course my dear, feel free to ask me anything! I can imagine you have lots of questions, especially since having a body like this is completely new to you"** Eleonore replied, touching Sal's hand gently, smiling at her. The girl was glad about the openness and nodded, starting to talk freely.

  
While Sal began to talk with Eleonore, Chandra was busy arguing with Langley. Latter had come across some problems with the official papers for both Hal and Sal's citizenship application. The biggest issue for them was, that Sal and Hal had been AI's before and they were still seen as machines, and not human beings. Thus getting a citizenship and acknowledgement from the government was difficult to achieve.

 **"That is all? This is the only reason why they went against it?"** Chandra retorted angrily, sitting down on his desk, booting up his laptop. **"Well for them it seems reason enough...i had quite a lot trouble with other outlets as well, they have a little weird view of you, but i guess you already know that..."** it was no secret that while Dr.Chandra had an excellent reputation within the scientists and computer community, people or groups outside this bubble saw him as sort of oddball or freak. He didn't cared about their opinions, all he wanted was for Sal and Hal to be accepted by humanity as one of their kind. And with Hal that was the case, he had a fully organic body, just like everybody else, Sal had an artificial one but still looked human enough. The close minded thoughts were the biggest thing Chandra was angry about. For once stepping out of their comfort zone was too much it seemed. The scientist realized that he had to step up himself and if it had to be in front of the highest court, he would do it.

 **"If they want to play that way, fine with me. I won't give up however!"** his voice started to settle down a little. **"I think i need to make a few calls now..."** he muttered, looking through his rolodex cards. As he found the number he was searching for, Chandra started a video call. Langley watched eagerly. **"Who are you going to call?"** he asked, raising a brow. **"Someone who certainly has a better stand with the government as me, one who is seen as sort of poster boy for them..."**

**Somewhere else:**

Dr. Floyd was busy going through some work mails as he received a video call. The biggest surprise however came over him as he saw the Caller ID. It was none other than Chandra himself. Raising a brow suspiciously, he hesitated for a moment before picking up. Why would Chandra call him of all people? Their relationship on the Discovery hadn't been the best, especially not after his little scheme with the mechanism that was able to shut Hal off. His mind went off for a moment before finally picking up the call, he cleared his throat.

 **"Chandra, what a surprise! You`re the last person i thought i would talk with so soon after returning home...How have things going so far with Hal? Is he behaving?"** a chuckle escaped Heywood's lips but froze when he saw the other scientists rigid face. **"Why are you asking? Have you implanted another chip in Hal to make sure he can be disposed of if needed?"** Chandra replied sardonically, giving Heywood a sharp glance. The other let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back in his swivel chair. 

**"Alright, i get it, you`re still mad at me...Was that the reason you called me? If yes, i have to ask you to keep it brief as i am quite busy at the moment..."** Floyd replied, his tone carried a certain annoyance in it. Chandra didn't wasted any time and began to ramble:  
**"No, that wasn't the reason, though i still feel a little angry i won't lie...."** Chandra massaged his temples slowly before continuing. **"I need your help, that`s the reason i called you"**

 **"You need my help with what exactly? I am confused, Chandra. What kind of problem you have that i could help you with?"** Floyd leaned forward slightly, furrowing his brows. Chandra closed his eyes nervously, clearly on edge. Would he help him at all? Sorting his words carefully, the computer scientist began to formulate his plight. **"You have lots of friends in the government, right? People who have the power to change things...You could persuade them with your smooth talking hypothetically, right?"** Chandra crossed his hands, mustering Floyd intensely. **"I want that Hal and Sal are accepted as citizens and humans, but the ones who could make it happen, are against it, seeing them as nothing more than machines! Now you come into play...talk with your friends, persuade them to agree with my request..."  
**Floyd was silent for a moment, processing the input Chandra gave him. The mere realization that Chandra was desperate enough to ask him for help made Heywood speechless. Thinking about the request, Heywood shook his head, leaning back again. **"And you think they will just listen to me like that? It's not working that way, Chandra. They have their views about this for a reason. I mean, i understand you want Hal and Sal to have a normal life, they are like children to you..."**

 **"They ARE my children, Heywood, not children-like...either way. Are you helping me or not?"** a hint of desperation was in Chandra's voice now and Floyd catched it in a matter of seconds. He was really serious about it...The older man held up his hand and silenced Chandra's rambling. **"I will ask them, the people i think could help, but i won't promise anything..."** Floyd stated which was followed by a relieved sigh from Chandra. **"Thank you, i very much appreciate it, Heywood. I am glad you are willing to help me...it means a lot to me"** not enough to forget what he planned to do with Hal but that was a topic for another day, the scientist mused. "Anything else?" Floyd asked, tapping his fingers on the table. **"No, that was all for now... We`ll talk later"** Chandra replied with a short nod of his head and disconnected their line.  
Floyd was sitting in his chair, shaking his head. That crazy bastard was serious in giving Hal and Sal citizenship...he thought Chandra had joked about it, then a moment after he realized that Chandra always had been like this, as long he knew him. All about computers and AI's...Getting up to get himself a drink, Floyd stretched a little to loosen his muscles. While the divorce from his now ex-wife was going on, he was allowed to stay in their shared house, Caroline had already moved out, with Christopher in tow. She had fell in love with another man while Floyd was in space. He was not mad at her, in contrary. Floyd knew this would happen, like so many other astronauts with girlfriends or wifes, the long journey had taken a toll on their relationship. **"They will think i am crazy..."** Floyd muttered to himself, gulping down a glass of scotch in one sitting.

Why did he even agreed in the first place? Slapping himself out of frustration, Floyd went over to his computer, hammering something down on the keyboard. 

**Urbana, Illinois:**

Sal was glad she was able to talk with Eleonore about her problems, she felt already better and was playing with Hal now. Langley and Chandra came down the stairs in the meanwhile, latter looked rather exhausted. The girl looked up for a moment, tilting her head. **"Is everything alright? You look exhausted!"** she stated, getting up, latching on her creators arm worried. Hal was waddling up to Chandra too, holding up a small tower he made out of legos, holding it up excited.

 **"I am fine, don't worry. I just talked with Dr.Floyd about something, it kind of exhausted me, that is all."** Chandra replied, trying his best to sound convinced. He kneeled down on Hal's level and caressed his head gently, praising him for the tower. The child beamed with joy, leaning into the touch. Sal looked at her brother sharply, squinting. Again hogging all the attention, Sal thought, huffing slightly. **"Anyway, enough about me, do you two want to see your new rooms? They are quite spacious and really big!"** Chandra exclaimed, putting on a smile. Sal nodded eagerly, forgetting her jealousy for a moment. Hal joined in, signaling Chandra that he wanted to be carried around. Getting the clue, the scientist picked up Hal easily, turning around to go back upstairs. Langley stayed with Eleonore and joined her on the table.

 **"Well, i guess you and Richard have a plan?"** she asked, raising a brow. **"I hope Dr.Floyd can help him, i feel really sorry for both Hal and Sal and of course Richard...they deserve to be treated like humans, they always have been, even though they were confined in metal cages"** Eleonore added, looking at Langley. **"He was hesitant at first, to be honest i am not even sure i he will go through with it in the end..."** leaning back in the chair, Langley let out a sigh. "It`s not going to be easy, so much is clear" he muttered, checking his pocket watch.

**Upstairs:**

Chandra had led the kids upstairs, they stopped at the first room after the stairs and went in. "This is your room, Sal, it has a view straight into our garden and of course you have your own walk-in closet with lots of space for clothes" Chandra explained, letting his older creation exploring her place. Pleased ohh's and ahh's followed, the bed was queen sized and had a marine blue bedding with waves on it, with plushes and pillows draped at each side. There was a desk with a laptop on it and in the furthest corner of the room was a fancy looking radio station. The room also was equipped with dozens of succulents, Sal's favorite plants.

 **"I love it, Dr.Chandra! Thank you very much!!!"** she exclaimed, hugging her creator tightly, throwing her arms around him. Hal was more interested in the flower that Sal had in her hair and picked it up nonchalantly, sniffing on it. It made him sneeze. Sal who felt her flower being gone, looked up and furrowed her brows. **"Hey, give me back my flower, Hal. It's not a toy!"**

 **"I just wanted to see if it smells!"** Hal retorted, pouting at his sisters reaction. **"Well it does as you just witnessed, Hal. Now give it back!"** Hal reached down and gave Sal the flower. **"Thank you..."** she retorted swiftly before letting go of Dr.Chandra. "It was just a flower, Sal. Don't worry about it. We have plenty of them in our garden" he stated, making Sal rolling her eyes in exasperation. They continued their little tour and came to another room, it was a little smaller than the former, but still spacious. It had a space rocket shaped bed(with lots of fantasy it looked quite a lot like the Discovery) in it and white drapes in front of the windows. Dozens of toys were in a big toy box on the side. A big bunny plush and a smaller plush pig were sitting on the ground, waiting to be cuddled.

 **"DISCOVERY!"** Hal exclaimed, basically jumping from Chandra's arm on his bed. It amazed the scientist quite a lot. At least he seemed to like it...Next was the plushes that took his attention and clumsily, Hal walked over to the bunny, engulfing him in a hug. **"And this one i will call Dave, he is going to be my bestest friend!"** looking down to the pig, Hal had an idea. **"And Mr.Pig is going to be called Frank, they are friends!"** the former AI explained, Sal began to snicker at the names. Chandra felt strange, he was happy that Hal seemingly enjoyed his room and the plushes, then on the other hand, he wondered if memories would come up in Hal after this...After all, the tapeworm program he made, couldn't completely erase all memories of the incident and since Hal now had a human brain, who knows if he could regain the full memory of it again...

Brushing that aside for now, Chandra turned to Sal who returned his look of amusement. **"Who had the genius idea to give Hal's bed the look of a spaceship, and one so close design wise to the Discovery??"** Sal asked curiously. **"It was Langley's idea, he thought it would fit and well, seemingly he was right. Hal really loves it"**

 **"Let's just hope this won't bite us in the end"** Chandra concluded with a sigh. **"I can't wait till i can go to school, i want to find friends as soon as possible!"** Sal suddenly exclaimed which made Chandra remember the upcoming battle for citizenship for her and Hal. It would cost him sleepless nights for sure, especially since he had to wait for Floyd's answer. A headache started to creep up on the scientist, making him slightly dizzy. "I think i will lay down for a little bit. I have a headache. Watch over Hal in the meanwhile, okay? And tell me if he shows any signs of distress while playing with his plushes...

 **"Will do, Dr.Chandra. Don't worry."** Sal replied, crossing her arms. **"Thank you, see you later Sal."** he added, leaving the room without further words. He went into his own and closed off the door, letting himself falling inside his bed. He reached inside his night table and pulled out a bottle of pills. Throwing one down his throat, Chandra closed his eyes while his headache continued to get worse.  
Sal knelt down to Hal and mustered the pig for a while. She had seen a picture of Frank once and had to admit that the dark beady eyes of the pig really resembled the astronaut a little bit.

 **"Happy Birthday, Frank!"** Hal exclaimed suddenly with a grin. Sal played along and mimicked a voice to give Mr.Pig a voice. **"Thank you, Hal!"** she retorted, snickering.

to be continued


	4. Battle against Windmills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hal suffers from a flashback episode and has a mental breakdown while Chandra gets a call from Floyd who has all but no good news for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while, i hope you enjoy this rather short chapter, the coming chaps will be longer, i promise~

**Chapter 4**

**Battle against Windmills**

...

Dr.Chandra literally jolted up in his bed when he heard the phone ring. Stumbling out of the comfortable beddings, he picked up the call and was surprised to see that it was Floyd who had called him. The face of Floyd wasn't really happy and Chandra already had a hunch why that was the case. With a sinking feeling inside his stomach, he greeted his colleague. **"Floyd, i am surprised to hear from you already, did you talked with them?"  
  
** There was a pause before Heywood started to talk. **"I talked with them, yes. But the answer i got from them is not much different than the one you got, Chandra...they won't acknowledge Hal and Sal's humanity, for them they are nothing more than machines."** he paused. **"They can't change the law for just two androids, since artificial intelligence is still not seen as equivalent to humans. Sorry."** Floyd added, clearing his throat uncomfortable. Chandra's face showed his disappointment clearly but he stayed composed, as far his facial expression belonged.  
 **"Fine, if they see it that way, i have to find another option...thank you for your effort"** with that, Chandra ended the call without further words, sitting down on his bed again, letting out a sigh.  
If only there were more smart AI's with autonomous bodies like Hal and Sal...

He laid down and closed his eyes. There had to be a way...

**Back in Hal's room:**

Sal was bored of playing with Hal's plushes and set them down, leaning back lazily. **"Let's go outside, Hal. The plushies won't run away and a little fresh air surely would benefit our new bodies, what do you say?"** Sal suggested, tilting her head. Hal looked up, pondering her suggestion for a moment before shaking his head. **"No, i want to stay here and play with Dave and Frank!"** he stated which was returned with a simple shrug from his older sister.

 **"Fine with me, see you later then!"** she got up and walked out of the room, her hands behind her head, a chipper tune on her lips. Then it dawned on her that she had promised Dr.Chandra to watch over Hal and rolled her eyes. Shaking that off, Sal concluded that a couple minutes on his own wouldn't hurt Hal at all, thus she continued her way downstairs. Eleonore and Langley had ended their little chat in the meanwhile, the old woman went over to a couple of plants to water them. She still had time before her favorite TV-Show started so she wanted to do something productive. Sal went out of the door, waving at them before scuttling off somewhere. **"Hey Sal, where are you going? Is Hal still upstairs?"**

The girl stopped in her tracks and lured inside a half closed door, tilting her head. **"Yeah he is playing with his plushies, i got bored so i wanted to stroll outside for a little while. Be back later, bye!"**

And with that, Sal was gone. Langley decided to look at Hal just in case, maybe he felt lonely, after the years in solitude being alone still was hard for the former AI. Aside of that, Langley always had spent lots of time with Hal, even teaching him a song right after his activation. Back then he had chosen a nursery rhyme, perfect for Hal's first steps into conciousness, after all, they had to raise him like a human child, socializing and educating him properly for the mission so that he could handle every possible situation that would have come up. It took them nearly five years until Hal had learnt enough to be considered a real asset for his human crewmates.

How proud they were back then, celebrating Hal's ascent into space...Langley remembered Chandra shedding tears, a rare occurance but fitting for this moment, after all, the scientist was the creator of Hal, for him it was like sending his youngest "child" up into the far distance that was space. Sal who had been activated six years prior in 1991 felt the same, but at the same time, she was happy for Hal that he finally was able to fullfill his purpose. While walking upstairs, the scientist heard someone sobbing, from the pitch of the sound it had to be Hal. Fastening his steps, Langley nearly tripped over one of the plushies that had been thrown on the ground. Looking inside Hal's room, his suspicion was confirmed. Hal was sitting in a corner of the room, hugging his legs while sobbing. Dave and Frank which had been played with only mere moments ago, had been thrown around careless, lying on the ground in a pitiful heap.

 **"Hal? Hal, what happened?"** he went over to the sobbing child and coaxed him to look up. Said child however just shook his head and turned away. **"Go ´way..."** was the only answer Langley got. Looking around the room, the scientist tried to find out what had caused Hal to act like that. **"Are you hurt? Or are you feeling not well? You can tell me, i will try my best to make you feel better, Hal"  
  
** It took a while before Hal could answer, wiping his running nose with his sleeve, the former AI stammered:

 **"D-Dave is angry with me, angry b-because i made F-Frank go away..."** he pointed towards the heap of plushies. **"I hurt F-Frank and D-Dave said he is mad at me because-because of it"** his voice began to quiver and his sobs developed into a full fledged panic attack. **"I didn't mean to hurt Frank! Or the others, i didn't meant to, i swear! I was just so...afraid, afraid they would-would..."** more he wasn't able to say before throwing himself at Langley, crying into the others shoulders.

 **"I was afraid...so afraid of everything..."** Hal added in between tears. **"An no one was there, not Sal, not Dr.Chandra, no one!!!"**

This scene continued for a while and Langley was listening to all of it while trying to calm down the sobbing child. Seemingly not all memories were erased by Chandra, Langley thought and held Hal close, supporting his head, rocking him gently. He would have to talk with Chandra later on... **"It's okay, Hal. No one blamed you...you just did the thing you thought was best at that moment..."** that was only half the truth, but confronting him with all the details now seemed out of place and far too much for his fragile mind to cope with. Lifting up Hal carefully, cradling him in his arms, Langley carried him out of his room and to Chandra's. Opening the door slowly, Langley peaked in and saw his friend massaging his temples slowly. The sobbing of Hal brought Chandra's look up and with a concern look he went over to his friend.

 **"What's going on? Why is Hal crying?"** he asked, raising a brow, wondering where Sal had been. She was supposed to watch over her brother. **"Where is Sal, she was with Hal before i went for a nap, she was supposed to watch over him and was instructed to tell me if Hal showed signs of distress!"**

 **"She went outside not long ago, said she needed fresh air...i found him in his room sobbing...bad memories from the Discovery...it seems your little tapeworm didn't erased all of his memories of the incident..."** Langley started, clearing his throat. The color in the scientists face faded slowly. Reaching over to Hal, he took his child in his arms and embraced the small figure, murmuring something that sounded like an apology. "I was afraid this would happen...i was foolish to think it was all gone...his brain is organic now after all..." Langley watched his friend for a moment before tilting his head.

 **"I have no good news either, Floyd just called and he confirmed these idiots decision as final. They wouldn't listen to him at all..."** he muttered, walking in circles, a crying Hal in his arms. Thankfully the child started to calm down visibly, obviously tired by the emotional override. **"Sam, could you stay here for a little while? I think i need help with all this...with the kids and everything else..."** his expression was tired and worn out, Langley could see that from miles away. His friend needed him, how could he say no to that? Giving the other a smile, Langley nodded, patting Chandra's shoulder with his hand. **"You can count on me, old buddy. I won't leave you alone with all that stuff going on. Trust me, together we will manage everything!"**

The emotion Chandra felt at the moment was a mixture of eternal gratitude and relief. **"Thank you, Sam"** he replied, sitting down on his bed with a now dozing Hal. Both men looked at each other for quite a while, no one was saying anything. There was no words needed, the mutual understanding and friendship they had was enough. **"We have enough rooms to spare, you can take the guest room in the basement. I will ask Granny to prepare everything"**

**...**

**Outside:**

The total size of the Chandra`s family grounds was quite enormous with lots of trees and flowers growing in various spots of the property. Sal took a stroll to the impressive rose garden, all cared for by Eleonore alone. She let no one else on these babies as herself, too much she cared about them. The young AI loved flowers and plants so it was really relaxing to look at all these lovely ornaments and flowery decorations. Now with her body, she was able to feel so much more, could experience all the things she dreamt about. Taking in the smell of a rose, Sal closed her eyes contently, letting out a sigh. One thing she realized soon however, their mansion was pretty far outside with no neighbours in close proximity. They were all alone which made Sal a little sad. She enjoyed talking with people after all, her main progamming was to be social. Originally she was created to be a companion for Dr.Chandra, someone he could talk to aside of Mr.Langley who wasn't always there anyway.

Sal was happy to see him more often now, she liked Langley a lot. She found his personality endearing. **"Maybe i can ask Granny or Sam to drive me into town, later on."** she talked to herself, there was no one there anyway. The gentle afternoon breeze caressed Sal's hair softly, which made the girl smile.

**Back inside:**

Chandra and Langley had ascended downstairs to tell Eleonore about their plan. The elderly woman was more than okay with this, enjoying the company of Sam very much either way. **"Maybe it's for the best, i think Richard needs everyone he can manage to keep around, it's not like he has many options aside of you, Sam"** Chandra threw over a hurt glance. It was painfully clear that he hadn't had many friends, to be precisely aside of his working colleagues, he only had Langley as close friend. She looked over to Hal who was fast asleep by now. **"The little one is tired, huh? Why don't you lay him down on the couch? My show starts in half an hour, when i am finished with preparing Sam's room, he can stay with me in the meanwhile so that you can get a bit of work done."** Eleonore suggested with a smile.

 **"He had a sort of flashback and was pretty worked up after it...he cried himself to sleep"** Chandra explained, carrying over Hal to the couch, laying him down gently, covering him with a blanket. His grandmother nodded understandingly and went to prepare Langley's room. **"Poor baby...i hope after his little nap he will feel better...maybe i bake him some cookies, there is no child on this planet who can't be cheered up with cookies after all!"**

 **"Well that sounds like a plan! I will drive back home for now to get a few more things, it won't take long."** Sam explained while turning around to face the door. **"Oh yeah, if you see Sal, tell her that i want to talk with her later, okay?"** Chandra said before his friend went out of the door. **"Will do!"** Sam retorted, waving his hand. Outside, he met Sal who had a dreamy look on her face as she had acknowledged his presence. **"Oh hey Sam, are you going back home already?"**

 **"Just getting a few things, i am going to stay with you guys for a while. To help your father and all that, if you know what i mean"** Sam replied, remembering Chandra's words from earlier. **"Talking about Chandra, he wanted to talk with you, maybe you go to him right away!"** Sam suggested which was met with a surprised look from Sal. Probably because of Hal, she thought, biting her bottom lip before nodding her head.

 **"Is he mad at me?"** she knew that Chandra had told her to stay with Hal, yet she went away. **"I don't think so, but maybe you can explain to him why you left Hal alone in his room, i think he was a little irritiated by that. Simply talk with him, i am sure its nothing bad"** Sam exclaimed before getting inside his car, driving off. **"Yeah, of course not...if it concerns Hal, everything is serious...always..."** getting back inside, Sal saw her creator waiting for her already, he was sitting at the dining table, his expression neutral. Scanning the rest of the room, she saw that Hal was asleep on the couch and that Granny just came back to settle down with him to watch her favorite TV-Show. **"Sam said you wanted to talk with me?"**

 **"Sit down, please"** Chandra replied, offering her a chair. With a sinking feeling inside her stomach, Sal did what she was told to do. **"Look, i am sorry i left Hal alone, i just wanted to go outside for a moment, i was bored playing with his plushies, you know? He was so deep into his little play anyway, i didn't thought he would even recognize me leaving"** she started but was stopped by Chandra who let out a sigh. **"There was a reason i asked you to stay with him, after you left, he suffered from a flashback and got a panic attack, hysterically crying in a corner...he remembered what happened back at the Discovery"** Sal's eyes grew wide, she had thought that he had erased all memories of Hal concerning that issue...

 **"Is he alright?"** concern swung in her voice. **"Yes, he is asleep now. Please, Sal, you`re his older sister, the next time don't leave him alone like that, tell Sam or Granny or even me, so that he isn't alone, okay? He is in a delicate state right now and we have to be careful to not trigger episodes in him, do you understand?"** the doctor stared at Sal who nodded meekly, looking away, feeling guilty.  
 **"I am sorry, i won't do it again"** she replied solemnly, hoping that was all the scientist wanted to talk about. Reaching out a hand, Chandra laid one of his on his daughters, squeezing it gently. **"Thank you, Sal. I am glad you understand why that is an issue for me...i am just concerned for Hal, that's all"** Sal wasn't replying, all she did was returning the squeeze on her hand. **"Of course you are..."**

**"Sal darling, don't you want to join me and Hal watching TV?"** Eleonore offered friendly, Sal took the offer without hesitation and went over to the older woman. **"Sure... Oh by the way, can you drive me into town later on, Granny? I really would like to stroll through the city!"** a hopeful glimmer was seen in Sal's eyes. Granny thought for a moment before agreeing with Sal's idea.

 **"I think that shouldn't be a problem, right, Richard?"** she threw a glance at Chandra who nodded his head slightly. **"Of course, maybe you can take Hal with you, i am sure the new surroundings will do him good, making him thinking of other things"** Sal was a little bummed out by that, she rather would have prefered to discover the city alone, without her younger brother or granny in tow...but better than sitting here, twiddling thumbs...Hal was still asleep and stirred only slightly as Sal sat down on the couch. In his dream, he was back on board of the Discovery, playing chess with Frank and Dave was watching them, smiling. They had fun, pure and simple as that. No angry glares or threats of disconnection, just them and a good game of chess.

**\\\"Check Mate, Frank, i am sorry but you seem to have lost the game!"\\\**

The scenery changed and back was the spacepod and a lifeless Frank was seen, floating dead in space...just as Hal had said...

 **GAME OVER** indeed...

**\\\"I am sorry Frank, you forced me to do that..."\\\**

**...**

to be continued


End file.
